Comparing the Effectiveness of Classroom and （比较了课堂的有效性）.pdf

Comparing the Effectiveness of Classroom and Online Learning: Teaching Research Methods Anna Ya Ni California State University–San Bernardino AbstrAct As public administration programs extend their online education offerings to reach more time- and place-bound students, and as accredited institutions become interested in documenting teaching and learning effectiveness, the degree to which online students are successful as compared to their classroom counterparts is of interest to teaching faculty and others charged with assessment. By comparing student performance measures and assessments of learning experience from both online and traditional sections of a required graduate public administration research methods course taught by the same instructor, this paper provides evidence that student performance as measured by grade is independent of the mode of instruction. Persistence in an online environment may be more challenging in research methods classes than in other public administration classes. Furthermore, participation may be less intimidating, and the quality and quantity of interaction may be increased in online classes. Two trends have recently converged in teaching public administration. As access to the Internet and World Wide Web has continued to grow, public administration programs have increasingly adopted Web-based instructional mechanisms. In the mid-1990s, the National Association of Schools and Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) noted that only eight member MPA/MPP programs offered online courses, but the number almost doubled to 15 by 2003 (Ginn Hammond, 2012). As of June 2012, the NASPAA website listed 39 member schools offering online MPA and related degrees, graduate certificates, and courses. A recent survey of 96 NASPAA-affili